As one of the train’s conductors, however, Morse sees three
possibilities looming in the distance: at the most radical level,
neuroscience will show us that our conception of ourselves is
“radically misguided”, that “we are not the kinds of creatures
that can be guided by reason”; a second outcome is that neuroscience
will reveal aspects of human behavior that will lead
us to modify existing legal doctrines such as those that address
criminal responsibility; at the most specific level, neuroscientific
techniques might help us adjudicate certain cases.

No matter which vistas of the mind open up as neuroscience
rushes down the tracks of discovery, the law’s criteria
for responsibility will remain rooted in behavior, says Morse.
“We don’t blame and praise brains…we punish and reward
people,” Morse said on Radio Times, a public radio talk
show in Philadelphia.